Sony debuts waterproof Walkman MP3 player built into earbuds

Sony has plenty to show at this year's CES, from cameras to cell phones and more, but one item that stands out is the Walkman Sports MP3 Player. The new waterproof music player combines a pair of earbuds with an MP3 player in a single unit, with no external device required to play tunes.

At a glance, the new MP3 player looks like a pair of large earbuds, but the two boxes on the sides actually house the entire player itself. The device has been designed with fitness in mind, making it much more comfortable to work out, jog, or swim while wearing it. With its waterproof construction, swimmers can take the MP3 player in the pool, and other users won't have to worry about it being damaged from heavy sweat. The two earbuds are also held together with a tension band that wraps around the back of the wearer's head.

Controls on the bottom of each side adjust the volume, skip through tracks, and pause/play songs. Users can load up to 4GB of music with a PC or Mac and get eight hours of playtime on a full charge. If needed, the Walkman can even play one hour of audio on just three minutes of charging. Sony also promises the earbuds will produce exceptional audio, even while underwater.

If you've ever tried swimming with a waterproof MP3 player before, you know how difficult it can be to keep it fastened to your body as the water rushes past. Sony's new MP3 player appears to strip out all the excess cables and devices to leave a much more streamlined player that won't restrict your movement when you need it most.

Sony's Walkman Sports MP3 Player will be available in blue, pink, white, and black and is set to be released in March at a price of US$99.99.

Check out the video below to see how the MP3 player holds in place during even the most intense workouts.

Jonathan grew up in Norway, China, and Trinidad before graduating film school and becoming an online writer covering green technology, history and design, as well as contributing to video game news sites like Filefront and 1Up. He currently resides in Texas, where his passions include video games, comics, and boring people who don't want to talk about either of those things.

love how things just keep getting smaller, i think at 100$ they could be half decent.

Arahant

Bout time someone made a compact quality pool player, I'm most definately interested!!

Terry Penrose

Actually, the waterproof aspect is new, but the in-the-ear mp3 player thing is not.

Roger Wasson

Actually Sony are a little behind here. There are already a couple of waterproof and wire free devices exactly like this on the market for half the price. These have proved hit and miss because of the in ear fit - if it's not perfect water gets in [whilst swimming] and the music has gone.

The best, much more advanced product I have seen for top audio whilst training is the FX-Sport VR1 model which has also has a customisable personal trainer facility and race a virtual athlete functionality as well as better music navigation and 8GB. The Sony is a music player whereas the VR1 is a training device as well. For me, a level above.

Harry Jones

I owned the Wave from some smaller outfit - total junk. Although only worn for exercise, never for swimming, it pooped out after a month and refused to charge. I'm hoping this industry giant has their act together because considering how boring swimming is, and how annoying cables are when you're active, this is a gadget that I'll buy right away.

moreover

Great! Now people can be oblivious to all around them while they are in the water. I wonder how many people a year die while wearing earbuds because they are too distracted to see that car/truck/bus coming at them?

Nelson

4gb is your first mistake i have a 8gb ipod and i should have bought the 64gb, if you ask me 64gb should be the minimum storage capacity have a nice day. Regards, Freelance Eng.(designer of smartphone tech,

Wow these sound amazing too bad if you get any scratches on the goggle lenses!

LainieAnderson

For anyone who reads this before purchasing...save your money. These are a dud! Good concept - poor execution. Bought them after reading this article and have had them for a while now. Horrible user interface (actually it doesn't have one). Uses circa 2000 folder-style for the GUI on a Mac. No "charge meter" so you have no idea of how much time it will take or where you are at in the process. I often have to reset the device when "ejected" from the Mac and it just blinks at me...no music. Sony always overlooks the details on these types of devices. There is a reason they have fallen into obscurity in electronics these days...